Rashaad Singleton, 7' 0" former player for UGA, has been named to the roster of the New York Knicks summer league squad.

Singleton had been invited to the Knicks organization to participate in workouts prior to the NBA draft. The summer league should give Singleton the chance to show what he can do before NBA, D-League and international scouts.

Wilkins did not get as much playing time last season as he has gotten with the team previously. He averaged a career-low 5.3 points per game. Nevertheless, Damien did not exercise his right to opt out of the contract.

Oklahoma is not a very good team and they need to find a way to put a competitive squad on the floor. Maybe Damien can help them get going this next season.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

I understand that Harris recently visited UGA and was offered a scholarship by Coach Fox.

Seems that Damontre Harris is a bit of a late bloomer. He played well at the NBPA Camp, where he was mentored by none other than UGA grad, Jarvis Hayes.

Harris has picked up a few offers, including Georgia, Auburn, South Carolina, and Boston College, according to Scout.com.

Harris averaged 5 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocked shots last year playing for Trinity Christian. My concern is that if Harris manages just two baskets a game against what might be considered not the highest level of competition, he may end up overmatched in the SEC.

Although my personal preference is that Georgia go after center prospects who overpower guys to rebound and dunk the ball, if Harris is good enough for Jarvis, he's good enough for me.

It will be tough for Coach Fox to manage the scholarships he has available. The only graduate after next season will be Albert Jackson. Georgia desperately needs a shooter, so we'll have to see how the Harris offer and the associated scholarship numbers turn out.

Nothing really new in the Rivals article, but I thought it was a good review of the background of Mark Fox, his relationship with LSU coach, Trent Johnson, and the challenges Fox faces in making Georgia an elite basketball school.

D.J. Shockley and Thomas Brown are in supporting roles with the Falcons.

Although I don't comment about pro football much, every now and again an article catches my eye, and this one from Daniel Cox of the Examiner fits the bill.

Thomas Brown and D.J. Shockley have represented UGA well during their tenure with the Dawgs and in their pro careers. They are an injury or two away from being right there in the mix for playing time with the Falcons, so their job is to contribute to the team as they can and remain ready.

John Calipari was the high profile addition for the league. He was brought in at Kentucky and immediately started to make waves in recruiting. Anthony Grant was considered the up and coming coach, and was lured to Alabama. Fox was the least known quantity, coming from Nevada.

Fox is quoted as saying he wants Georgia to get a little bit better. I know it's early yet, but hopefully, Fox is using the "Vince Dooley understatement approach."

The guys will have to work hard, but Fox has some athleticism on the roster. Maybe Fox can instill his offensive system, get a couple of high profile recruits on board, and start to get Georgia rolling.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

The Miami Heat have drafted Patrick Beverly and Robert Dozier. Beverly played at Arkansas for a time, and Robert Dozier was signed by UGA, but was not allowed to enroll due to questions about his academic qualifications.

How will Mark Fox and crew do in recruiting? Seems to me that Georgia needs at least one more big man and one do-everything player.

Kendrick would fit the bill for the latter category. He can handle the ball, shoot and defend well enough. Georgia will have guys who can play the point (Ware, Williams, Robinson). We need at least one big-time "maker."

Sundiata Gaines is back in his familiar haunts and putting up his familiar big numbers. In Thursday's game, Gaines went for 51, hitting 7 of 12 from downtown.

I still think that Gaines could be an Andre Miller-type of player for an NBA squad. He has to show he can hit free throws, but if he has improved that part of his game, he might be able to earn a good look this year.

Fox prefers a system that would allow high school players, if they're good enough, to go directly to the pro's. If a player goes to college, however, they would have to stay at least 3 years before they're eligible for the NBA draft.

I thought that Randolph Morris did well in providing a player's perspective.

Morris is an interesting case in point. Morris was well-known in high school, went to Kentucky, and from there, to the pro's. However, how many minutes has he played since then? If he had gone directly to the pro's, would he still be in the NBA? As it stands, he has bounced around a little bit and earned a nice NBA check. He just as easily could have been bounced out of the league, and ended up competing for a job without a degree.

My take is that players should be able to go directly to the NBA. It's America.

I do have concerns for guys that end up without a degree and without a fall-back plan. The one-and-done rule doesn't help those guys, because they go to school for a semester, play ball and then declare for the draft.

At some point, you have to let adults make what could be bad decisions.